Base stickers may cause shortness of breath...

Last week, I ran a quick errand on my lunch break.  When I was walking back to my car, I happened to glance at my base stickers.  When I realized the date on there, I felt light headed.  

I bet you didn't know base stickers may cause shortness of breath and dizziness, among other things.


Yea, me neither.

 It's a bit unnerving to see a date that is 143 days away and realize that you don't quite know what is going to happen after that date. 

As of today, the boy's contract with the USMC is up as of October 6, 2012.  He intentionally picked that date- it will be our 5th wedding anniversary (and my cousin's wedding day!).

This is the closest we have gotten to our end of contract date and not really knew what was going to happen next.  We've always known months out what was going to happen next- when he reenlisted in 2006, he had more than 8 months left.  When he extended to deploy, he had more than a year left.  


Now we are 4-ish months out, and we know nothing.  We know what we want, but we just need to wait for the Marine Corps to make some decisions.

It is freaking me the heck out, to say the very least.

I am a planner.  And, under normal military spouse circumstances, this is a quality that definitely plays to my advantage.  But in this case, where everything as far as reenlistment and continuing on in the Marine Corps is completely out of our hands and beyond our control, I am a nervous wreck.  I know things will work out how they are supposed to, but it becomes quite frustrating when all you want is an answer- and to know what October 7th will bring.  I just have to wait and be Semper Gumby, while also having plans A-Z ready to go, just in case.  In case of what though, has yet to be decided. 

There's not a whole heck of a lot we can do about it.  Just be patient and wait, and be hopeful that someone or something out there knows what the best next step will be for us.  I do believe that everything happens for a reason, and that everything will work out exactly how it is supposed to.

Until it all works out though, I might have to carry a paper bag around with me for the next time I happen to glance at my base stickers.

The girl can swim... sort of.

Last night, Mocha went swimming.

Swimming is exhausting!

Now, I'll ask again.  

Who thinks I am crazy?

Because what normal person takes their dog for hydrotherapy once a week?

Well, I think this might be proof that I am far from normal when it comes to this dog. 

2 rounds of CCL surgery have left Mocha a bit limpy.  (2 rounds of surgery have also left me a nervous wreck, afraid to do much of anything for fear I will continue to break the boy's dog. Blah!)  So when we went to visit Dr. Farthing, I told her I was concerned that she was still not putting much weight on her leg, and that I was afraid the second round of surgery hadn't fixed anything.  The boy-who does not always think worst case scenario like yours truly- figured that it was because she had had the same surgery done twice in 6 months, and that it was just going to take longer to heal.  

Now brace yourself.  Because this rarely happens.

The boy was RIGHT. 
(Yes- there it is- in writing.  Proof that he was right, and he wins this one.)

It turns out that occasionally I should listen to my darling dearest.  After I let him win, the vet suggested we take her swimming once a week to start building her strength back in her leg.  This was something Mocha was familiar with- after round one of surgery this summer, she was swimming at daycare once a week.  

So back to daycare we went.  Thankfully, they offer after hours swimming, so off we went.

Now Mocha is part lab, which means she should love swimming and love all things water, right?

Ha!

From what I was told, Mocha only swims because she knows it will make her people happy.  If the poor thing had a choice, she would definitely not be in a pool with her adorable life jacket on. But she swims.  She gets plenty of hugs and cuddles when she rocks it doing her laps in the pool, and our second round yesterday was much more enjoyable for all parties involved.  

So in case you missed it yesterday, here is Mocha girl swimming:

She just cracks me up haha.

It seems to be working.  After last week's hydrotherapy session, she would not use her owie leg at all for a good 2 days.  Last night, she was running around on it as soon as we got home.  So I am hopeful that this will make her leg as good as it's going to get, because Lord knows I am sick of being a nervous wreck any time the poor dog runs or jumps or does anything besides lay quietly next to me. 

Yes, I probably am crazy.  But I am okay with that- because I am fortunate I can spoil my dog with daycare and hydrotherapy and whatever else she needs.  She is a happy girl, and a good puppy.  And really, I know it is all worth it in the end! 

I bet you think we're crazy

Heck, there are some days I think we are crazy too.

Since September 2010, the boy and I have been living apart- and he is what the military refers to as a Geographic Bachelor.   We made the decision because when he got orders to North Carolina, I had JUST gotten a new job.  A great job- a job that I love.  We had orders to the land of no jobs- fabulous Jacksonville, North Carolina.   

(Sidenote- I love Jacksonville.  Really I do.  But for someone who wants to work, its not the best place to find quality employment.)

We decided that he would be a geo-bachelor.  He would move to NC, I would stay with my job in VA.  Besides, he was just going to deploy in a few months anyway, so it made sense.  I honestly thought that when he got home from that deployment, his geo-bachelorhood would be over.  It has obviously not worked out like I had all planned out in my head. So we have a commuter marriage- we see each other on weekends and then Monday through Friday he is in North Carolina.  

I've made a decided effort to not complain, because this is something we have voluntarily agreed to do.  Nobody made us.  This decision was all us.  But there are some day- most days anymore-where I am exhausted, all I want to do is cry, and I feel like the world is against me.  

Is it really worth it for me to still be at the job that I love, when the person that I love is 350 miles away? But is it worth it to be with the person I love, and be miserable the rest of the time because I am again just settling for something in my professional life?  It is a constant internal struggle with myself.  There are so many days where I wish I could be a "normal" wife in the Marine Corps- that I will follow my husband from place to place with a great big smile on my face.  

But I am not the norm.  I am me.  

And this was my chance to do what I wanted- what I needed to do for myself.  The Marine Corps gets to control just about every aspect of my life- and most of the time that is okay.  But this time, I needed to do what made me happy.  It is not the most ideal arrangement, but at the moment it is working for us.  I am actually thinking that it has made our marriage stronger.  For 4 out of the 7 days of the week, I only talk to the boy on the phone.  That means again, we pick and choose our battles.  We don't dwell on the petty stuff, we focus on the good stuff that happens during the day.  On the weekends, we know we only have a certain amount of time, and we try to make the best of it.  Sometimes we have to cram so much in it makes my head spin, but that is okay with me. 

I bet you think I'm crazy.  I'm pretty sure I am.  But one part of our choice to be a military family is to make the best choice for us- even though it might not be the most ideal or the most popular.  If it doesn't work for both of us, the military just won't work.  I know my husband is a lifer- so right now we are both making sacrifices so we can have and do what we want.  I know this geo-bachelor stuff won't last forever- and that's part of the reason I've not yet moved to North Carolina at this point.  We are waiting on orders- so a new duty station is in the not so distant future.  We are both confident that at our next duty station, we will be back to normal. 

Or at least as normal as the Marine Corps allows us to be!

Hearts and Flowers

Today is Valentine's Day.

I'm a little bit anti-Valentine's Day.

I am certainly not anti- love or anti-relationship or anything like that.  

I just think its a holiday created by Hallmark and a bunch of other retail establishments.  (I can safely say that, as I worked there for 2 fabulous years in college.)  The lines of men everywhere to buy their significant other a bunch of pink and red crap with hearts and glitter all over it always just cracked me up.  I never necessarily wanted to be on the receiving end of that stuff.  

I guess I just don't totally understand why ONE day needs to remind everyone to tell the people they love that they love them.  I am a firm believer in telling my husband and my family and friends ALL the time that I love them and that they are important to me.  I don't need one specific day.  

I've always told my darling dearest that I am not big on V-day.  Shockingly, he does not have a problem with that.  (Of course, after I convinced him that this wasn't some sort of test or trick!)  I would rather he just do something nice for me at another totally random time of the year, not because one specific day on the calendar says he should.    



So, we don't celebrate it. 

 No boxes of candy, no over-priced flowers (again, because its one specific day), no nothing. 

 It's just another day for us.  

And tomorrow I will wake up, and again tell my husband and my family and friends how much I love them.  Not because of a date on the calendar- but because it's just a nice thing to do. 

It's a Blogoversary!

Today, my blog turns 1!

One whole year of blogging! I am quite proud of myself that I have kept up with it as well as I have, through all the craziness of this last year. 

I've done my best to remain honest and open through it all- and it has definitely helped me deal with the insanity.  This has also been a great way for me to get feedback and other people's opinions- and to be reminded that I am NEVER the only one dealing with something. 

I hope that I have remained somewhat interesting to my readers and followers.  I hope that I have given you new insight and perspective into my life as a Marine Wife.

Thank you for the support!!

Surgery- Round 2

Remember my 85 pound problem from a few months ago?

Yep.  The same 85 pound problem came back.  

Of course it did.  Because it's my dog, and she just can't make things easy on me!

About 2 weeks after the boy got home from deployment in October, Mocha girl started limping again.  Everyone told me not to worry about it, that she was fine.  (Have I mentioned lately how much I hate that word?!)  I took her to the vet, and was told to keep her resting and quiet. 

So that's what we did.  When December rolled around and nothing had really gotten better, we took another trip to the vet.  She said that something just wasn't quite right, and suggested we take her back down to the surgery center in Richmond.  

Thankfully, we were able to get an appointment while the boy was still around and I was off of work for the holidays.  So on December 30th, we ventured back down to Helping Hands.

I of course had been stressed out for weeks- just knowing the nightmare I was facing once again.  I hated that I had done something wrong, and was causing the dog to be in more pain, and causing us to have to deal with this surgery again.  When we arrived, Mocha was so tense and so stressed out, they had to give her a short acting anesthesia.  Once the doctor examined her, we still didn't really know much.  Something just wasn't quite right with the ligament that had been replaced, and the only way to tell was to do surgery to check things out.  

So we left the brat with the surgeon, and spent the day exploring Richmond.  We went to an art museum (where I was quickly reminded that immature Marines and fine art just do NOT mix) and then did some after-Christmas shopping.  That part of the day was great- and I was happy to have the boy there with me for round 2 of surgery.

When it came time to pick the dog up- I was a nervous wreck. In June, the wonderful people at Helping Hands had to carry her out and lift her into the car.  She was completely drugged up and couldn't hold herself up.  My mom had to hold her down in the back seat the entire way home, and she had to be carried into the house by my fabulous neighbor.  So of course, I was expecting the worst.  The absolute WORST.

Thankfully, this time around was totally different.  Mocha came charging out of the back room like nothing was wrong, and was alert and wide awake and could not be happier to be running around giving everyone kisses.  I got all teary eyed when I saw how different she was.  What a huge relief!!

I must mention here how absolutely fantastic the staff at Helping Hands is- just absolutely wonderful.  Dr. Pasternak was sympathetic and understanding, and really made me feel better about the situation.  It turns out that somehow Mocha had stretched the ligament- and it's just not supposed to do that.  We were told that it was the most bizarre thing- and that she had never seen that happen before.  (Again-of course-because it's my dog!)  I am so glad that we were referred to this place- not only because they are so affordable, but because they genuinely love and care for your pet when they are there. 

Now, I am a professional at post recovery ACL repair in dogs.  Not something I really thought I'd be an expert at, but hey, it's all good!  Mocha's stitches came out this past Tuesday, and everything is healing really well.  I think this second surgery has made the dog a bit more cautious- she's still hopping around on 3 legs, but sloooowly beginning to put weight on her leg.  Hopefully by the time her daddy is done with his latest school, she will be all healed up and ready to run around with him again! 

A Day in DC

Today I finally accomplished the last thing on my to-do list.


And, as a result, I feel.... well, a little sad.


When we moved to Quantico almost 5 years ago, I was beyond excited.  Not only were we 4 hours away from home, but we were 40 minutes away from one of my favorite cities.  


Washington D.C. is a fantastic place- and the boy had never been.  So we sat down and made a list of things we wanted to see and do.  (One of the things I have learned in the Marine Corps is that you MUST take advantage of a place when you live there.  I don't ever want to look back at a duty station and regret missing out on what that place had to offer!)


So the list was made... and we slowly chipped away at it.  

The Washington Monument.  We've not made it to the top... yet!

Today was the last stop on the list- the Newseum.  It is fairly new- and right up my alley.  I am a complete news junkie, and one of my majors is journalism, so it was like my dream place.  The boy was kind enough to suffer along with me while I walked around and enjoyed every second of it.  


But once we were done, I realized that was it.  Not that there isn't 100 other things for us to do in the city, but it was strange to think that we had finished it all.


I have truly enjoyed my time here at Quantico, and I am so sad every time I think about leaving.  We have had so many amazing experiences here- things that only would have happened because of the boy being in the Marine Corps, and things we have done with fantastic friends we have met in the Marine Corps as well.


I know I'm lucky to be squeaking a bit more time out of living here, but I know that all things must come to an end.  Until then though, I will enjoy being so close to such a great city.  


If anyone wants to stop by, I love playing tour guide!